Fuse tool



Patented Apr. 8, i924.

Y I j risata@ PATENT; orifice. i

ALEXANDER WALKER, on coLonADo snRrNes, AND CHARLES' n. HoWsoN, on DENVER,

COLORADO;

FUSE Toor..

Application led December 6, 1920. Serial No. 428,747.

To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that we, ALEXANDER WALKER and CHARLES E. HowsoN, citizens of the United States, residing, respectively, at Colorado Springs, in the county of El Paso and State of Colorado, and at Denver, in the county of Denver and State of Colorado, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in F use Tools, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to tools of the type employed in preparing fuses for use in igniting the explosive charges of drill holes in mines and quarries, or other material to be broken up by blasting; and its primary object is to provide a tool of very simple construction which is adapted to readily split an end portion of a fuse after it has been placed in the drill hole, for the purpose of facilitating its ignition.

A. further object of the invention is to provide in a tool of the above-described character, means cooperative with a member of the splitting appliance to cut the fuse to any required length, and still another object is to provide a fuse tool which in addition to its before-mentioned characteristics has means for crimping the percussion cap or shell in which an end of the fuse is inserted prior to its application to the charge.

With the above objects in view, our invention consists in the construction and arrangement of parts shown in their preferred form in the accompanying drawings in the various views of which like parts are similarly designated and in which:

Figure 1 represents an edge view of our improved fuse tool;

Fig. 2, a side elevation of the same; and

Fig. 3, a transverse section taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Referring more specifically to the drawings, the tool consists of two crossed members 5 and 6 pivoted together as at 7 to provide lever handles 52L and 6a at one side of their pivotal axis and cooperating jaws 5 and 6c at the opposite side of the same.

The jaw 5c has a longitudinal groove 8 open at one end, which in the splittin action of the tool provides a seat for the en portion of the fuse, and the other jaw 6c has an integrally formed knife or cutting head 9 the sharp edged end-portion of which is adapted to enter the groove when the jaws are closed together.

Oppositely alined notches 10 in the sides of thergroove serve in the operation of the tool to hold the fuse in the path of the cutting head for the purpose of severing it transversely to a desired length, and a longitudinal slot l2 in the bottom of the groove is intended to admit the cutting edge of the knife for the purpose of insuring the complete longitudinal division of the endportion of a fuse placed within the groove.

The sides of the groove flare outwardly at the open end thereof to facilitate insertion of the fuse.

The member 5c of the' tool has in its Y shank-portion rearward of the groove 8, a

semi-circular identation 13 and the shank of the other member is formed to crimp a cap or shell placed in this identation and thereby fasten it to theV fuse.

In the use of our improved fuse tool the fuse is cut to the required length by placing it in the notches 10 of the grooved jaw of the member and causing the knife on the other member to enter the groove by pressing the lever arms of the two members together.

An end portion of the severed piece of. fuse is subsequently inserted in the percussion cap which is securely fastened thereto by placing it in the indentation 13 of the one jaw and moving the jaws about their pivot as before, and, finally, after the cap ed end of the fuse has been inserted in the rill hole together with the explosion charge the protruding end portion of the fuse is split longitudinally by placing it in the groove of the jaw 5 and -forcing the cutting head of the other jaw into and through the groove until its cutting edge has entered the slot 12 in the bottom thereof.

The process of splitting the end-portion of the fuse is a common expedient to facilitate and expedite ignition, and it will be apparent that the use of the tool herein described and shown, is highly advantageous over the'method usually employed of splitting the fuse by means Vof an ordinary knife.

Having thus described our invention what we claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

A fuse tool comprising two pivoted mem-V bers having co-operating jaws, the jaw of one of the lmembers having a straight fuse trough the bottom of which4 is longitudinally slotted, seats in the sides of the trough to support a fuse in transverse relation thereto, and rearward of the trough, a crimping notch, and the jaw of the othel` member having a stralght edge cao-operatingV with said orlmpng noto and a cutting edge adapted to enter the slot in the bottom of the trough.`

when the jaws are closed together and eurving from its center upwardly atv both ends relative to said bottom. 10 In testimony whereof we have afxed ourl signatures.

' ALEXANDER WALKER.

CHARLES E. HOWSON. 

